This time last year movie theaters across the globe were filled with impassioned fans dressed as magical creatures from a Wizarding world. Tonight theaters will be packed with similar types of enthusiastic fans, but instead of wizards we’ll see vampires, werewolves and mobs of screaming girls. With Breaking Dawn premiering the same weekend the Deathly Hollows premiered last year, the frequently asked question arises once again: Harry Potter or Twilight, which fandom rules all?

Since the spike in popularity of Twilight over the past few years, media and fans alike have been comparing it to the ever-so-popular Harry Potter film series. Pitting these two franchises against one another has led to serious competitiveness and rivalry among fans.

“Harry potter is definitely the better franchise. It’s completely original, has well-developed characters, and it takes you into this new world like you’ve never experienced before. It’s not like Twilight with the same old love story; Harry Potter has more complexity,” said Shazia Siddiqi, freshman in DGS who has read both series but considers herself a huge Potter fan.

The Harry Potter fandom has been around for the past decade and is notable not only for being a literary masterpiece, but also a phenomenon that has captured the hearts of billions around the globe. The franchise is one of the highest grossing film series of all time; the characters and actors are household names and it even has its own theme park in Orlando, Fla.

Despite Harry Potter’s popularity, the Twilight franchise came in guns blazing and captured its own passionate audience in the female population, especially adolescent girls.

“The Twilight storyline definitely draws me in. I know it’s cheesy for a girl to believe in that fairytale love story, but I think the little girl in me, believing that love will conquer all, is what makes Twilight so appealing,” said Heidi Arntzen, sophomore in AHS.

The Twilight franchise has also sparked an obsession with vampires, werewolves and all things supernatural. True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, two television shows consisting of the same supernatural elements and “forbidden love” as Twilight, now have established a loyal fan base.

The coincidence of the two films’ premieres falling on the same date has renewed the competitive spirit among fans.

“I think that this competition only exists because the media created it for money. If things like E! news and People magazine didn’t constantly ask ‘Twilight or Harry Potter?’ I doubt the rivalry would be on this scale,” said British Nanton, sophomore in LAS. “But I guess that since the general age group is the same and that both franchises touch on magical and mythical beings, it allows for competition.”

Harry Potter fanatic Siddiqi feels as if the success of the two fandoms can not really be compared.

“I really don’t think Breaking Dawn Part 1 will be as successful as the Deathly Hollows Part 1 premier. Harry Potter has a much larger spectrum of fans,” Siddiqi said.

Nanton, a self-proclaimed Twilight fan who happens to acknowledge that Harry Potter is the superior franchise, provides the perspective of someone who works on the inside. Nanton works part-time at a movie theater at the AMC Yorktown 17 in Lombard and has experienced her fair share of Twilight and Harry Potter premieres.

“Working ticket sales, we get calls months in advance for both movies. … But when it comes to selling out I actually think that Twilight definitely goes first,” Nanton said. “But I think that’s just because women are the general fans and women in general tend to be more on top of things like preordering tickets. Girls like to be prepared.”

Regardless of which movie sells out first, both fandoms have an overwhelming turnout during the night of the premiere.

“Premieres for both fandoms are full of crazies,” Nanton said. “I’ve seen a lot of insane things at the premieres for both film franchises. Fans go all out, it’s Harry Potter and Twilight mania from head to toe.”

For Nanton, the most ridiculous thing she has seen at a premiere was a drunk Harry Potter impersonator who seemed to think he had magical powers.

“(He) thought he could fly off the balcony at the theater. Luckily his friends and security detained him,” she said. “With Twilight, its just a bunch of screaming fan girls who go hysterical whenever Jacob takes his shirt off.”

Whether they are rooting for a Quidditch victory or a shirtless Taylor Lautner, fans from both franchises go to outrageous lengths to express their love and excitement. One reason why so many people appreciate these fandoms is because of the greater moral message that each tries to convey to their audiences. Fans identify with the coming of age, good versus evil story in Harry Potter, and they can relate to the bounds of teenage love in Twilight — but even with their similarities, the stories’ differences in themes have led to competition.

“Harry Potter is more appealing world wide because its basic message is that as long as you are loyal and can move past your differences, you can triumph over evil. Twilight’s main message is … honestly I can’t think of the moral? What is it? Abandon your friends and family to marry this really beautiful guy?” Siddiqi said.

The fandom has become immortalized as a phenomenon that will forever define a generation. For the past 10 years, kids have grown up with Harry and his friends.

“I know it’s cheesy to say, but Harry Potter definitely has impacted my childhood,” Siddiqi said. “I learned lessons that the characters learned. It was more than just spells and magic, it related to life.”

While some fans have definite preferences, the universality of Harry Potter’s message allows all types of people, including die-hard Twilight fans, to appreciate both series.

“Although I am a huge Twilight fan, I can’t say anything bad about Harry Potter. It’s great in its own way as well,” Arntzen said. “They’re both so different it’s kind of ridiculous to compare. But it seems that although there are ‘Twihards’ and Potter fans, it’s definitely more socially acceptable to love Harry Potter.”

Rivalry aside, both fandoms will always be remembered, not for which was better, but for how they were able to greatly captivate and impact such a large group of people.

Nanton summed it up best when she said, “Whatever terrible kind of day you’re having … you can always just open one of these books or flip on the movie, and for an hour or so you can forget all about your problems. You can live the characters’ lives and just for an hour or so you can escape. That’s why people will always love these fandoms; Harry Potter and Twilight both can simply take you to a different world.”